Disk-operated game-machine



' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No-Model.).

J. A. HUN-T.

DISK OPERATED GAME MAOHINB.

No. 517,046. Patented Man-27,1894.

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NIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. HUNT, OF BIN GHAMTON, NEW YORK.

DISK-OPERATED GAME-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,046, dated March27, 1894.

Application filed February 20, 1893- Serial No. 463,084- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. HUNT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Binghamton, county of Broome, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Machines; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a disk operated game machine the disk to bedropped into the machine and to be automatically delivered by themachine.

The object of my invention is to provide a game machine of novel andattractive features, with which two or more players by taking adetermined number of disks may by dropping them into the slot of themachine play an interesting game the player obtaining the largest numberof disks being the winner of the game.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and thenparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In order that my invention may be fully understood,'I will now proceedto describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved disk operated gamemachine. Fig. 2 is an interior view of the casing in elevation, thefront parts being removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional View partly brokenaway, on line Y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is asimilar section showing the parts inanother position. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the mechanismshown in Fig. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a view of the disk to be used with themachine.

The casing of the machine has top 1, bottom 2, sides 3 and 4, back 5,and glass face 6, back of the glass face 6 is a plate 12 shown fully inFig. 2. This plate 12 has a flat even surface with the exception ofraised perpendicular bars 15-16171819 and 20. These perpendicular barsare raised from the surface of the plate 12 to a height slightly greaterthan the thickness of the disks .to be used with the machine, so thatwhen the plate 12 is placed in position behind the glass face andforming compartments 21-22-2324.

2526 and 27, between the plate 12 the glass face 6 and the raised bars15-l617l8- 19 and 20. I do not place a bar to the right of compartmentNo. 27 nor to the left of compartment No. 21 because the sides 3 and 4of the casing retain the disks in those compartments.

The plate 12 has a row of openings 13 one in each compartment2l-22232425 26 and 27, and extending across the entire width of eachcompartment also another row of smaller openings 14 below the row ofopenings 13 in the center of each compartment 212223'242526 and 27 thepurpose of these openings will be described hereinafter.

A flat tube not shown in the drawings leads from the slot 47 to theopening 28 in the plate 12 the purpose of this slot and tube is toconvey the disk from the outside of the casing dropping it in the waybetween the plate 12 and the glass face 6. Below the opening 28 isattached to the plate 12 fourcurved springs 2930-31 and 32 these springsare slightly narrower than the way between the plate 12 and the glassface 6 allowing them room to work freely. The purpose of these springswill be described hereinafter.

The glass face 6 has a darkened portion at 7 covering the part of theplate 12 to which the perpendicular bars 15--161718-19 and 20 and hidingfrom view the compartments 21222324t2526 and 27. The plate 12 ends shortof the bottom 2 above an incline 10 which extends just in front of thedownwardly extending flange 9, and across the entire width of the casingand permits the disks when falling from the compartments to slide ontothe front portion of the bottom 2, against a guard strip 11. The frontof the casing over the incline 10 is protected by a shelf 8. The glassface 6 ends short of the plate 12 allowing the disks to turn the anglewhen dropping from the compartments onto the incline 10, as will bedescribed hereinafter.

At the rear of the plate 12 conforming with the openings 13 of eachcompartment 21 22--23-242526 and 27 is a backwardly and downwardlyextending diskway or chute 44 having a curved rear portion 45. Thepurpose of these chutes or diskways will be described hereinafter.

A door is fitted into the back of the casing for convenience of gettingat the mechanism and removing the disks, and is fitted with a lock 48 inthe side 3 of the casing.

Having described the fixed parts of my machine I will now describe theoperating mechanism thereof.

At the back of the plate 12 on a line coincident with the center of eachof the compart ments 2l22--23242526 and 27, is a small hanging arm 33swinging freely on pin 35 in a bracket 36 which is attached to the plate12. The hanging arms 33 have a forwardly extending detent 34 whichnormally extends through the opening 14 of plate 12 and rests againstthe glass face 6, these detents 34 prevent the free passage of the disks46 whenlocked in position as will be described hereinafter. A rockinglever 37 is pivoted at 38 in a bracket 39 which is attached to a brace40 which is attached to the plate 12. At the end of the lever'37 nearestthe dog 33 is hung a counterbalance weight 41 the upper portion of whichextends through a slot in the lever 37 and is pivoted at 42. The end ofthe lever 37 under the rearend of the chute or diskway 44 is providedwith portion or pan 43. The inner end of the rocking lever 37 normallyrests against the bottom of the hanging arm 33, looking it so that itsforwardly projecting detent 34 holds the disks 46 from passing out ofthe compartments as shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 3 and 4 show an outline view of the mechanism in the rear of onecompartment, it being understood that the mechanism is similar in each,there being seven hanging arms, rocking levers, chutes or diskways, &c.,all being alike, and working independently of each other.

The disks Fig. 6 are preferably of metal about seven-eighths of one inchin diameter and about one-eighth of an inch in thickness. However themachine may be constructed to use disks of other sizes.

The construction of my disk operated game machine having been describedI will now proceed to describe the operation thereof.

The machine is supposedly in normal position and empty of disks. Two ormore persons will take a determined number of disks, say twenty-fiveeach; they will alternate in dropping them into the slot of the machine.Person No. 1 will drop a disk into the slot 47 whence it will rollthrough a flat tubing and drop through the opening 28 onto the point ofthe spring 29, the point of this spring 29 being under the center of theopening 28 the disk is liable to fall either to the right or left.Should it fall to the right it will strike on the right wing of thespring 29 and thence rebound onto the spring 32, this spring 32 being ofa peculiar shape the disk may be thrown against the spring 30 or may bethrown over the spring 30 to the opposite side against the spring 31,the spring 31 may throw against the spring 30 or may throw it over thespring 30 to the opposite side again. A similar operation might occurshould the disk fall to the left and bound onto spring 31. The object ofall the springs 29--3031 and 32 is to throw the disks about making it anelement of chance as to which compartment they may drop into. Afterleaving the springs the disk may drop squarely on the end of one of theperpendicular bars and bound toa compartment some distance away. Whenthe disk drops into one of the compartments it slides or falls by theopening 13 by reason of its momentum and is caught and held by theforwardly projecting detent 34 of the hanging arm 33. WVe will say forexample that the first disk dropped in the slot by the person or playerNo. 1 will finally drop into compartment No. 23'between the bars 16 and17. The person or player No. 2 will now drop a disk in the slot andafter bounding about among the springs we will say for example that itwill drop into compartment No. 25 between the bars 18 and 19. The nextdisk we will say for example will also drop into compartment No. 25 whenwe will have two disks in compartment No. 25 and one in compartment No.23. When one more disk drops into the compartment No. 25 it will havethree disks which will reach as high as the opening 13 and the next diskhappening to drop into that compartment will strike on Ithe upper one ofthe three disks already in that compartment, and tip over through theopening 13 into the diskway or chute 44. This operation is shown in Fig.3. After the disk 46 falls into the chute it slides down the same andfalls onto the pan 43 of the rocking lever 37. The chute 44 is providedat its end with a downward curve 45 to prevent the disk sliding over thepan 43 of the lever 37.

The disk,46 dropping onto the pan 43 of the lever 37, depresses that endof the lever unlocking the hanging arm 33 allowing the disks 46-46-46 torun out of the compartment onto the incline 10 and out on theforwardportion of the bottom 2 against the stop 11, the player whodeposited the last disk being entitled to the three which have justfallen out. This operation is shown in Fig. 4. After the disks have runout the hanging arm 33 will resume its normal position by its ownweight, and when the rocking lever 37 has reached a more slantingposition the disk 46 will slide off from the pan 43 when the lever 37will by reason of the counterbalance weight 41 resume its normalposition, relocking the hanging arm 33 in position until the sameoperation is repeated. When the disks are all used with which the gamewas started the player having the greater number is supposed to be thewinner of the game, it being understood that the disks which are drawnfrom the machine shall not be dropped into the machine again during thatgame. The disks falling off the lever 37 drop into the bottom of thecasing, and together with those remaining in the compartments; may beremoved by opening the door in the rear of the casing, those disksremaining in the compartments being obtained by depressing the levers 37by hand or dropping a disk on the pan 43 0f the lever 37.

The machine may be so constructed that a different number of disks woulddropinto a compartment before one would fall into the chute, by raisingor lowering the position of the opening 13 in the plate 12, and raisingor lowering the position of the chute 44 to conform with it. Or themachine may be so constructed as to have the compartments hold differentnumbers of disks before they would fall into the chute for instance: theopening 13 in compartment 21 might be lowered the diameter of one disk,so that two disks would fill it up to the opening, and the third diskhappening to fall in that compartment will fall through the opening intothe chute tip the rocking lever and allow the two disks to run out. I Orthe opening 13 in the compartment 22 could be raised the diameter of onedisk, so that it would require four disks to fill it up to the opening,and the fifth disk would work the lever allowing the four disks to runout. The next compartment might .hold five disks before working thelever, 860.

'The machine illustrated in my drawings has seven compartments. It willbe readily understood that a machine may be constructed with a greateror less number of compartments, the same mechanism and principleapplying to all.

I do not wish to be understood as confining myself in the use of myinvention to the game as described in the foregoing, as other pleasingways of using my invention may doubtless be devised.

It is evident that my invention is susceptible of slight changes whichwill readily suggest themselves to skilled mechanics without departingfrom the spirit or scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a disk operated machine, the combination of a plate, a glass face,springs confined between the plate and glass face for throwing the disksabout, bars raised from the surface of the plate, forming compartmentsinto which the disks may fall, substantially as set forth.

2. In a disk operated machine, the combination of the plate, the glassface, springs confined between the plate andglass face for throwing thedisks about, bars raised from the surface of the plate, formingcompartments into which the disks may fall, pivoted hanging arms, havingforwardly projecting detents reaching'through openings in the plateacross the Way of the compartments, substantially as set forth.

ing the disks about, bars raised from the surface of the plate formingcompartments into which the disks may fall, pivoted hanging arms, havingforwardly projecting detents, reaching through openingsin the plate,across the way in the compartments, rocking levers provided withcounterbalance weights calculated to lock and hold the hanging arms inposition, preventing the downward course of the disks and holding themin the compartments, substantially as set forth.

4. In a disk operated machine, the combination of a plate, a glass face,springs confined between the plate and glass face, for throwing thedisks about, bars raised from the surface of the plate, formingcompartments into which the disks may fall, pivoted hanging arms, havingforwardly projecting detents reaching through openings in the plate,across the way in the compartments, rocking levers provided withcounterbalance weights, calculated to lock and hold the hanging arms inposition, preventing the downward course of the disks and holding themin the compartments, openings in the plate across the compartmentsthrough which the disks may fall, substantially as set forth.

5. In a disk operated machine, the combination of the plate, the glassface, springs confined between the plate and glass face. for throwingthe disks about, bars raised from the surface of the plate, formingcompartments into which the disks may fall, pivoted hanging arms, havingforwardly projecting detents reaching through openings in the plateacross the way in the compartments, rocking levers provided with acounterbalance weight calculated to lock and hold the hanging arms inposition, preventing the downward course of the disks, and holding themin the compartments, openings in the plate across the compartments,through which the disks may fall, chutes for conveying and dropping thedisks onto the pans of the rocking levers tilting them up unlocking thehanging arms allowing the disks to run out of the compartments,substantially as set forth.

6. In a disk operated machine, the combination with a disk receivingcompartment of limited capacity, of a pivoted detent normally projectinginto it, a chute receiving any extra disk beyond the capacity of thecompartment, and a counterbalanced lever normally locking the detents,and closing the discharge end of said chute and adapted to be rocked toretract the detent by the weight of a disk engaging with said lever.

7. In a disk operated machine, a disk receiving tube, a chamberreceiving said disks, and springs therein for irregularly throwing thedisks about in their descent through said ceiving said disks from saidchamber,in comchamber, in combination substantially as set bination. I0forth. In testimony whereof I a'lfix my signature 1n 8. In a diskoperated machine, adisk receivthe presence of two Witnesses. 5 ing tube,a chamber receiving them from the JOHN A. HUNT.

tube, springs in said chamber for irregularly Witnesses: throwing thedisks about in their descent W. 1-1. BROWN,

through said chamber, and compartments re- S. J. KELLEY.

